What Do We Mean When We Talk about the Linac Isocenter?

Mutian Zhang¹, Su-Min Zhou¹, Tanxia Qu²

¹Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA.
²Isocenter Lab, New City, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ijmpcero.2015.43028                

Abstract

Purpose: The isocenter of a medical linac system is a frequently used concept in clinical practice. However, so far not all the isocenters are rigorously defined. This work is intended as an attempt of deriving consistent and operable isocenter definitions. Methods: The isocenter definition is based on a fundamental concept, the axis of rotation of a rigid body. The axis of rotation is determined using the trajectory of any point on a plane that intersects the rigid body. A point on the axis of rotation is found through the minimal bounding sphere of the trajectory when the rigid body makes a full rotation. The essential mathematical tool of the isocenter definition system is three-dimensional coordinate transformation. Results: The axes of rotation of the linac collimator, gantry, and couch are established first. The linac mechanical isocenter (linac isocenter) is defined as the center of a circle that best fits the trajectory of a select linac X-ray source position. The axis of rotation and the minimal bounding sphere are cornerstones for the rotation isocenters of the collimator, gantry and couch. The definition of radiation isocenter incorporates a surrogate of the useful beam axis. Conclusions: A framework of isocenter definitions for medical linacs is presented in this manuscript. Consistent meanings of the mechanical and radiation isocenters can be achieved using this approach.

Keywords

Medical Linear Accelerator, Isocenter, Linac Isocenter, Rotation Isocenter, Radiation Isocenter, Axis of Rotation, Definition

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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